Drilling apparatus and method of cleaning plugged drill steel



Dec. 11, 1951 R. L. JONES ETAL DRILLING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CLEANINGPLUGGED DRILL STEEL Filed Jan. 15, 1948 JNVENTORS. Roberi L. Jones '8:Harry 0. Nyiene g./"'- (i) ATTORNEYS ,by air under pressure.

Patented Dec. 11, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRILLING APPARATUSAND METHOD OF CLEANING PLUGGED DRILL STEEL Robert L. Jones and Harry 0.Nylene,

Leadville, 0010.

Application anuary 15, 1948, Serial No. 2,457

9 Claims. (Cl. 255-64) 1 This invention relates to drilling apparatusand more particularly to an improved device for and method of removingmaterial obstructing or plugging the passage of a drill shank or drillsteel, used indrilling apparatus.

In percussion drilling apparatus, a length of .rod commonly called adrill steel is employed,

such drill steel having at its outer end a bit which may be formedintegrally with the shank or drill steel, or formed separately so as tobe detachable therefrom. The end of the drill steel opposite the bit isinserted in a chuck or other suitable holder of percussion drillingapparatus or impact machine such as, for example, a liner, stoper orjack hammer, used in mining or similar operations where holes are to bedrilled in hard substances of the earth such as rock or ore. Successiveimpacts on the drill steel causes the bit to produce a hole in thematerial being drilled,

and for producing such impacts, the drilling apparatus usually includesan air motor operated During drilling, dust tends to be produced, andthe bit also tends to be heated due to the impacts. Toeliminate suchdust and to cool the bit, a fluid such as water is conducted underpressure to the bit through a passage extending centrally through thedrill steel or shank. This passage often becomes clogged by rockparticles or cuttings forced therein during drilling, and particularlywhen the bit is operating on relatively soft rock and a considerablequantity of material is being removed. When the passage becomes clogged,the material therein is usually very firmly packed and consequentlyextremely difiicult to remove, not only because of the packing, but alsobecause of the small size of the passage. The usual practice is toreplace the drill steel and take the plugged drill steel to a shop orthe like, at which attempts .are made to remove the material, as by asmall auger (which is useless when the drill steel is of anyconsiderable length), by hammering the drill steel, or by tapping thedrill steel on a hard surface such as iron. Sometimes the pluggedmaterial can be removed, after considerable effort, if the material isnot packed too tightly, but often it is impossible by any methodsheretofore employed to clear the passage, and consequently the drillsteel is no longer useful and must be discarded, which is, of course,costly.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a new and efiicientdevice for and method of quickly removing material plugging the passageof a drill steel and the like.

Another object of this invention is to provide acting-through a tappetl6. be turned or rotated in a conventional manner,

2 a device and method whereby percussion drilling apparatus or impactmachine can be employed in quickly'cleaning a plugged drill steelpassage.

Still another object is to provide a device to beutilized in associationwith normal drilling apparatus or impact machine, to enable an operatorto utilize the drilling apparatus'in quickly cleaning a plugged drillsteel passage.

A further object is to so construct the device employed in cleaning theplugged drill steel passage, that the cooling water supply can beemployed to cool the device during the cleaning operation.

A still further object is to provide means for cleaning a plugged drillsteel passage, which can be made a part of the drilling apparatus orimpact machine, so that the cleaning operation can be performed withoutremoval of the drill steel from the chuck of the drilling apparatus.

Additional objects and the novel features of this invention will becomeapparent from the following description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a side view of an impact machine such as a stoper, and inassociation therewith, a device constructed in accordance with thisinvention;

Fig. 2 is a partial longitudinal section, on an enlarged scale,illustrating the use of the device in removing foreign material and thelike from a drill steel; and

Fig. 3 is a further enlarged side view of the device.

As illustrated in the drawing, the device of this invention may comprisea chuck C, provided with a relatively heavy body It, which may berectangular, hexagonal, round, or any other shape, and having therein asocket ll adapted to receive the shank or impact-receiving end [2 of adrill steel D. The chuck C is preferably made of steel or similarmaterial, forged or similarly produced, to provide adequate resistanceto long wear and rough usage. Preferably formed integrally with the bodyIll, is a rearwardly extending shank l3, adapted to be inserted withinthe chuck M of a percussion or impact machine M, illustrated as astoper, but which may be a liner, air hammer, or the like, or other typeof impact machine. During normal drilling operations, the drill steel Dis inserted-in the chuck l4, and successive impacts are produced againstthe end I2 thereof by a reciprocating hammer I5, The chuck l4 may sothat a hole will be drilled in the rock bya bit ll, which may bedetachable from the drill steel,

3 as shown, or may be formed integrally with the drill steel. Duringdrilling, water for flushing out the cuttings is supplied by a tube l8to a central passage [9, extending longitudinally of the drill steel Dand having a continuation [9' in the bit l'l. However, particularly whendrilling in soft rock, the passages l9 and i9 tend to becomeclogged orplugged "with dirt, cuttings or other foreignmaterial 20, thuspreventing the free flow of water or flushing fluid to the bit. This, ofcourse, interferes seriously with the drilling operation, and, asindicatedabove,--it has heretofore been relatively difficult to removesuch foreign material, the drill steel even sometimes being discardedbecause of such'd'i'flic'ulty.

In cleaning out the drill steel passage '19 (and/or bit passage |9'),-inaccordance with this invention, successive impacts are produced againstthe impact end l2 of the drill" steel D, tvhile the eooling and'flushing water is turned off '-"or, preferably, divr'tdfrom the normalpassage l3,'while-the bit l1 is shieldedfr'om contact with rock orlthelike to prevent the production 5 of seal-semiannual which' 'would tendto add" to that already plugging" the' pas- "sage. -For 'the abovepurpose, the sharik l3 of the chu'ck C 'is placed in the 'chuckl 4 ofthe percussionrnachine M, while the impactnd I2 fof-thefdrill's'te'el'l) is" placed in the socket l I of "the chuck C. After the bitIT has been positioned against a'solid waiter-object, preferably a metal-plate or' the like'-'so that no actual drilling' will take place duringcleaning, the percussion or iinpactjmahine M is turned'on and -theforeign i'naterial 20, 'dfie to-impact "and vibration, is caused to*mo've 're'arwardly in' central passage I 9. fAs'soon as theforeignmaterial reaches the i'mpact end l2of= "the drills'teel, itis'discharged through a dischargepassage or hole 2 formed "in bodyf Illof 'thechuc'k C and leading from the rear-end=of "socket l I. At-thesame time, the water'or flushing 'iiuidfwhieh' normally acts also tocool the bit- I'l, is diverted through a central passage 22"-inshankl3'of"the chu'ck C,-and is discharged'througlr' an outlet 23, the passage22 and outlet'23 farming a'b'y-pass for the flushing fluid. The passage22 preferably 'extendsto a 'po'inta d'jacent" the socket I l, so thatthe water will tend to keepthe chuck C cool d uring the cleaningoperation. rock'fl'during"cleanirig, a special cap 25, formed of steelor the like and adapted to fit over'the "bit [1, maybe utilized. It isto be'emphasized thatdur-ing' the cleaning operation inaccordance =wm1this invention, the foreign material iiio'vesf toward the rear end of'the -"drill-' steel, rath'enthanfbing removed at the front end,-at Iwhich it entered. "-A possible explanation'of such movement of theforeign material is-that, as

each'-succe'ssive impact is received by the drill.

fsteel, *the'inertia 'of 3 the foreign material causes it to move'rea'rwardlyin theoentral passage 19. fI iowever, whatever theexplanation, a drill steel -which 5 has been completely plugged may becleaned in a'relatively short period of time, such To avoid T drillinginto the and that other machines differing in constructionand-operationmay be utilized.

The shank-I3 of chuck C is usually the same size and shape as the impactend I2 of the drill "steel D, but the shank l3 may differ in size fromthe socket II, as when the chuck may be made in different-sizes fordifferent sizes of drill steel. Also, the chuck C may be incorporated inthe "machine chuck I4, or the equivalent part of other machines, as bynormally connecting passage 22 With socket Iljbut' providinga bypa'ssvalve or similar means roruischarging' the"wa'ter tonneside-"rather'than passing it through the "drill 'st'eel, and alsopermitting the foreign material being removed to be "dischargedtothe-outside.

-'However,==due to-the extremely r'ough"usage to whichpra'cticaiiy alldrilling 'a paratus' is Bilb- 'jcted, "a separate auxiliary chuck forthe re- "moval-of foreign material from 'drill steel"will usually be'found to be more satisfactory.

From --theforegoing, it will be apparent that the "method and apparatusof thisinventiorr ful- -fill to a marked degree the 3 requirements I?and objects he'reinbeforeset forth. The de'vicwor auxiliary chuck ofthis invention, which; asin- "dica'tedfmay be incorporated in the" chuckof a percussion machine, is' readily inserted-in the ir'iacl'iine' andlittle adjustment or rep'ositionir'ig 'of 'the machineis necessary,since the"bit may be impacted "against a Y plate, bar 'or the like,which 'is solidly' backed, such as by being placed *against'arock wall.Also, the chuck can be earri'ed'with the drill steel for each 'mach'ineand "very little time is'required to clean any one drill steel. It isthus relativ'ely easyto clean out a drill s'te'el'at anytime=*'it"may"become plugged, the time involved being not'much greater{than that necessary forreplacing'a plugged drill steel with an unpluggedone.

- It"'will be understood that, although one'emfwnau is claimed is: 1. Adevice for use in removing foreign material froni the fluid passageofdril steel,such'drill steel normally being provided at one end with" adrill bit' and being adapted to'receive impactsat the opposite end fromanimpact machine'and having a passage to receive flushing fluid, said"devicecomprising' a body' adapted to receive the impact end of'a drillsteel'and' having a passage for discharge of removed foreign material;and'a stem extending from saidbody and constructed "and arranged toreceive impacts from such linpact machine; said stem having a-passage'f'or di- 2. In drilling apparatus, a chuck 'providedwith which passagedrilling fluid is'normal lysupplied for now to the fo'rward'-end-of"saidcl'rill' steel;

means for producing a succession of impacts against said chuck; meansfor diverting the fluid normally supplied to said longitudinal passagein said drill steel, to permit foreign material to move rearwardl andout of said longitudinal passage; and means for discharging such foreignmaterial from said chuck.

3. In drilling apparatus, a chuck provided with a socket for receptionof the rear, impact end of a drill steel having a longitudinal passagetending to become clogged with foreign material, to which passagedrilling fluid is normally supplied for flow to the forward end of saiddrill steel, said chuck having a passage leading from the rear end ofsaid socket for discharge of removed foreign material; means forproducing a succession of impacts against said chuck; and means fordiverting the fluid normally supplied to said longitudinal passage insaid drill steel, to permit foreign material to move rearwardly and outof said longitudinal passage.

4. For use in combination with an impact machine and a drill steeladapted to receive impacts at the rear end and provided with a bit atthe forward end, said drill steel also having a longi tudinal passagefor flow of drilling fluid to the forward end, such passage tending tobecome clogged by material being drilled, a chuck having means toreceive the rear end of said drill steel, means for discharging removedforeign material and means for diverting such fluid, said chuck alsobeing adapted to receive impacts at the rear end thereof.

5. For use in combination with an impact machine and a drill steeladapted to receive impacts at the rear end and provided with a bit atthe forward end, said drill steel also having a longitudinal passage forflow of drilling fluid to the forward end, such passage tending tobecome clogged by material being drilled, a chuck having -1 means toreceive the rear end of said drill steel and means for dischargingremoved foreign material, said chuck also being adapted to receiveimpacts at the rear end thereof; and a cap for said bit adapted topermit said bit to be impacted against said cap with said cap placedagainst rock or the like, said cap preventing drilling into said rock bysaid bit.

6. The improvement defined in claim 5, wherein said chuck is alsoprovided with means for diverting such fluid, and said cap is providedwith side flanges adapted to extend about said bit.

7. A chuck for use in the removal of foreign material from the fluidpassage of a drill steel, such passage extending longitudinally of suchdrill steel from the rear end to the forward end thereof, said chuckcomprising a body having a socket for reception of the rear end of saiddrill steel and a passage leading from said socket for discharge ofremoved foreign material; and a stem extending rearwardly from said bodyand having a size and shape similar to the rear end of said drill steel,said stem having a longitudinally extending passage for fluid and saidbody having a fluid discharge passage connecting with and extendingangularly to said stem passage.

8. A chuck for use in the removal of foreign material from the fluidpassage of a drill steel, such passage extending longitudinally of suchdrill steel from the rear end to the forward end thereof, said chuckcomprising a body having a socket for reception of the rear end of saiddrill steel and a passage leading from a point adjacent the rear end ofsaid socket for discharge of material moving rearwardly into said socketfrom said drill steel passage; and a stem extending rearwardly from saidbody and having a size and shape similar to the rear end of said drillsteel, said stem having a passage longitudinally extending for fluid andsaid body having a fluid discharge passage connectin with and extendingangularly to said stem passage.

9. Apparatus for drilling and removing foreign material from the fluidpassage of drill steel, such drill steel normally being provided at oneend with a drill bit and being adapted to receive impacts at theopposite end from an impact machine and having a passage to receiveflushing fluid, comprising an impact machine adapted to receive theimpact end of such drill steel and to supply a flushing fluid to saiddrill steel passage during drilling, said machine producing impactsagainst 1 the impact end of said drill steel during both drilling andthe removal of foreign material; means for discharging foreign materialfrom the imp-act end of said drill steel durin removal of foreignmaterial; and means for diverting said flushing fluid during suchremoval of foreign material, to permit such foreign material to moverearwardly and out of said drill steel passage.

ROBERT L. JONES. HARRY O. NYLENE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 766,588 Brejcha Aug. 2, 19041,084,152 Kessel Jan. 13, 1914 1,611,028 Harrison Dec. 14, 19261,953,095 Baker Apr. 3, 1934 2,038,134 Schiffner Apr. 21, 1936 2,145,262Hokanson Jan. 31, 1939 2,359,971 Curtis Oct. 10, 1944

